Notes / Commercial Description:
Vinyl sails in on her shining wings as the spinning sun returns. She is the season-shifter, bursting from her cocoon to sing the ancient song of vernal yearning and to summon spring's sweet green return... Her metamorphosis becomes our own. Her thirsts are shared by all. Drink in her mysterious elixir as the revolution blooms again...

I am picking up where I left off last night, in the Magic of the Hat. My thanks to my local, in-person trader, tone77 for this one!

From the bottle: "Scrumptious Amber Lager"; "The ancient ritual of brewing a distinctly rich and flavorfulbeer is a performance to behold. Our mysterious mélange of time-honored ingredients harmonize with chaotic chemistry, humble patience, and blind faith to create this unique beer to share in the rousing company of kindred spirits. Cheers!"; "A performance in every bottle".

Upon Pop!ping it, the cap advised me "I Second That Odd Notion ..." and so I returned the favor with an aggro pour. The reason that a California Common is also referred to as a "Steam Beer" is that once the lager yeast began to ferment at ale-like temperatures, the resulting foam looked to some like steam coming out of the fermenter. I mention this because the frothing foam that shot up was like an uncontrollable leviathan! Three-plus fingers of dense, puffy, rocky, tawny head with great retention. Sheesh! Color was a deep Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. Nose held a prevalent caramel maltiness. I usually eschew such things, but tonight, I will drink anything placed in front of me. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but big for a lager of any stripe. The taste was very much of caramel and therefore very sweet, but tonight, I am giving everything that I usually dislike a pass. I walked into a Burmese tiger trap of a phone call and was sideswiped by a reminder of our inherent mortality. Fuh. It took all of the wind out of my sails at the end of the day & sent me home for a beer (or two). Finish was sweet, but I really don't mind. It is a pleasant, easy-drinking lager, clean, but tasty and since Magic Hat has begun CANning, I would certainly buy some more in a CAN.

12 ounce bottle into lager glass, bottled on 10/29/2015. Pours crystal clear deep orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Great appearance. Aromas of brown sugar, cracker, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness, herbal, grass, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of brown sugar, cracker, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness, herbal, grass, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of cracker, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness, light pepper, and herbal/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. very nice robustness, complexity, and balance of bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Very clean on lager flavors with zero yeast ester notes present. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and moderately creamy/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 5.1%. Overall this is a very nice Vienna lager style. All around good robustness and balance of bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

12 oz bottle. Pours amber with a long lasting white head and nice lacing. Aroma is of bready malt and some hops. Body is medium and slightly crisp. Taste is caramel malt and herbal hops. Finish is long and semidry. At the and it was not bad.